Available Workshops
To request a workshop for your school or district, contact Irv Richardson.
Parent/Teacher Connection
This workshop explores how to communicate with parents to assist their students’ learning. National statistics show it is not just economics, race, or ability that influence our students. It is also their parents’ attitudes toward school and parents/guardians involvement in their child’s education. Come and discuss strategies to help you encourage parents to become part of their children’s learning team.
Classroom Management for Experienced Educators
This workshop has been created to support the experienced educator in the ever-changing classroom environment. Although we may be comfortable with teaching, many times we are faced with challenges from students that may require adjustments not only in our own individual teaching style but also in those that affect the classroom in its entirety.
Mentor Training Program
Learn how you can share your knowledge of the teaching profession and make a beginning educator’s first year a more successful one. This is a district-wide program.
Classroom Management for New Teachers
This program is designed to assist new teachers in dealing with classroom behaviors. Learn about transitions, smoothly flowing classrooms, parent communication, rules and routines and communication styles. This workshop is geared for new teachers in their first 5 years of teaching.
Our Diverse Community (4 hours)
Living, Working and Learning Together
When we effectively address the diversity that exists among educators and students, we create a better work environment and, most importantly, a better learning environment for students. This training is especially tailored to be relevant to the everyday experience of a broad range of educators.
Dealing With Difficult Situations (2 hours)
Are there people you work with, or must deal with regularly, who are perpetually negative or argumentative unless they get their own way? Have you ever given up on something that was important because it was not worth fighting with someone who disagreed with you? This workshop will help you empower yourself, keep your cool and achieve your goals in spite of that person who seems determined to torpedo your ideas.
Pulled in Too Many Directions? (2 hours)
The current demands on teachers both in and out of the classroom can often become overwhelming. Our efforts to get it all done cause excessive stress and threaten to take the joy out of the job. Put things into perspective as you explore user-friendly strategies for time management, organizational skills and stress relief.
You Are What You Say (2 hours)
Who you are and how you see yourself affects the way you relate to others and communicate with them. Learn to assess your self-image and learn how to use your strengths to facilitate communications and interpersonal relations. You will also explore what gets in your way and creates barriers to communication.
Shortchanged in the Classroom? (2 hours)
If you woke up tomorrow as a member of the opposite sex, how would your life be different? Participants will learn to recognize unintentional bias in their own interactions with students. Strategies will be presented to help you teach with real equity.
Skills for Making Groups Work (2 hours)
This workshop will focus on adult groups/committees. It will include skills to help understand group dynamics, methods to effectively communicate within a group, and processes to move forward toward goals that the group has set.
Bullying: A Social Justice Issue (2 hours)
A recent NEA-NH survey on violence in schools has shown bullying to be a pervasive problem, but there is still time to make a difference. Every school has both bullies and children who are teased and picked on. The programs listed below suggest useful tools to use either in the classroom or as part of a whole school program. They offer proactive strategies for prevention and intervention in bullying situations.
Quit-It! (2 hours)
Inappropriate behaviors such as teasing, bullying, verbal or physical harassment are learned early. Helping children and youth develop healthy behaviors, relationships and responses is imperative to a civil and equitable society. The focus of this session is children in grades K-3.
Bullyproof (2 hours)
This session is like Quit-It!, with a focus on grades 4, 5 and 6.
Flirting or Hurting (2 hours)
Child development is impacted by culture. Psychological problems or maladaptive behaviors such as verbal or physical abuse between boys and girls, men and women, often flow from gender relationships that are learned early. Helping children and youth develop healthy gender relationships is imperative to a civil and equitable society. Bullying at this level often takes a direction toward sexual harassment. This session focuses on children in grades 6 through 12.
Liability Issues for School Staff: Supervision of Students and “Don’t Touch Issues”
In today’s schools, school staff will encounter difficult students, emotionally charged conflicts and supervision problems as well as questions about sexual harassment. This seminar will give you an overview of liability issues, as well as some specific suggestions and examples of different approaches. You will review the interplay between protecting member rights and the grievance process.